Council Positions

Thinking about joining our council, but not sure what roles are available? Here’s a description of all council positions and the estimated time involved. We hope you’ll find something that interests you.

Chairperson The Chair of the School Council acts as the official spokesperson of the School Council. He or she attends the Trustee’s Inter-school meetings and communicates with the Principal on a regular basis. He or she chairs the monthly meetings, and prepares the agenda for each meeting in advance. The Chair updates the Principal Profile on an annual basis, writes the annual report at the end of the year, and ensures that all other Council documents are kept up to date. The Chair creates the budget for the year (subject to Council’s approval) and ensures that a proper record of all financial transactions is maintained (the Chair is a signing officer for the Council). The Chair participates in regular communication with the chairs of the various sub-committees of council.Time commitment: Three to four hours per week.

Vice Chairperson The Vice Chair assists the Chair of the Council and acts as Chair in his/her absence. The Vice Chair is responsible for records management, which includes maintaining an archive of Council documents (agendas, minutes, etc.), maintaining the Council bulletin board (he or she may do it themselves or arrange for another Council member to carry out the work), and facilitating the transfer of documents from one Council to the next. The remaining work of the Vice Chair often comprises a sharing of the duties of the Chair. The Vice Chair is a signing officer for the Council.Time commitment: Three to four hours per week.

Secretary The Secretary of the Council is responsible for maintaining a full and accurate accounting of all School Council meetings through the taking of minutes. In conjunction with the Chair, he or she ensures the adequate notice of meetings and sets the meeting schedule for the school year. After each meeting, the Secretary distributes the minutes to all council members by email, to solicit feedback and edits. He or she then resends them for an email vote for approval before the next council meeting. The Secretary is responsible for all Council correspondence, which involves receiving incoming mail and distributing it to membersâ€™ mailboxes, and sending out official notices and invitations as required. The Secretary is a signing officer for the Council.Time commitment: One to two hours per week.

Treasurer The Treasurer ensures safekeeping of the School Council finances in accordance with the policies and procedures of the OCDSB and provides accounting thereof, as required, to the Board and the Council. The role of the Treasurer is to set up and maintain a detailed record of all income and expenses along with accompanying receipts ad invoices; to check the accuracy and consistency of monthly bank statements; and to report monthly to School Council on fundraising and other revenues and expenditures. The Treasurer deposits all incoming cheques and signs all outgoing cheques.Time commitment: Three to four hours per week.

Lunch Program Committee Coordinator We have several hot lunch programs at W.O. Mitchell: Pizza Tuesdays, Pita Pit and Booster Juice Thursdays, and Lunch Lady Fridays. The Lunch Program Coordinator oversees all of these programs, setting an order schedule for the year and organizing all lunch program volunteers through an online ordering system and volunteer database. Usually, the coordinator also runs the orders and food delivery of at least one of the individual programs. He or she can also judge the relative popularity of the lunch programs, and consider switching the food offered as required.Time commitment: Three to four hours per week.

Ottawa-Carleton Association of School Councils Representative (OCASC) The OCASC representative represents School Council at OCASC meetings and raises issues on behalf of the School Council. They will then report to School Council at each council meeting and keep School Council members up to date on pertinent issues. The OCASC meetings often feature a guest speaker who talks about issues affecting all schools in the Ottawa area, and allows the representative from W.O. Mitchell to meet and interface with other schools in the area.Time commitment: Three to four hours per month.

E-Notification Coordinator Help keep our community informed. Send monthly or as required emails, notifying parents and guardians of School Council news.Time commitment: Three to four hours per month.

WOMapalooza! Coordinator WOMFest is our annual celebration of school and community. It is not meant to be a fundraising event but is a large festival that requires a lot of planning. The WOMFest Co-ordinator will organize the festival, handle all publicity, and help all volunteers carry out their jobs to make WOMFest a success.Time required: Heavy in the last two-three months of the school year

Craft Fair Coordinator The council’s annual craft fair is a major fundraiser that takes place in the fall. It features a silent auction, bake sale, and craft tables provided by local crafters. The Craft Fair Co-ordinator will organize the fair, handle all publicity, and help all volunteers carry out their jobs to make the fair a success.Time required: heavy in the first two-three months of the school year

E-Waste Coordinator The ‘Recycle Your Electronics’ fall fundraiser involves setting up a depot at the school on a Saturday to collect unwanted electronics from the community. WOM will receive funds based on the amount of e-waste collected, and waste is properly recycled. The E-Waste Co-ordinator will organize various aspects of setting up the e-waste depot, such as setting the date of the event, and finding and helping volunteers.Time required: heavy in the first month of the school year

Special Events Coordinators Various interested council members may wish to plan special events and activities over the course of the school year. In the past, such special events have included family movie nights, the staff appreciation lunch, spring and fall yard cleanups, popcorn days, Boomerang Lunch Day, and the SnowHawks ski days. Any new ideas for extra activities or events are always welcome.Time required: As needed on a short term basis to plan the selected event

Webmaster The webmaster posts all requested changes to the Council’s website, ensures that the site is running smoothly, fixes any problems with the site, and ensures that all site content follows the ethical guidelines set out in the Council Constitution. The webmaster also provides a twice-yearly digital backup of the website files, including digital copies of the minutes, agendas, and newsletters; these digital copies are stored by the secretary. The webmaster is free to introduce design changes or coding changes that improve the site, or to add new functionality.Time required: one to two hours per week throughout the school year

Members at Large Members at Large commit to attending all School Council meetings to provide input on how council funds should be distributed. They have a vote in determining how the council should spend its budget. Members at Large also often step in to volunteer and help plan various special events during the year.Time required: two to three hours per month throughout the school year

The council also has two voting positions for staff members, one for a teacher, and one for a non-teaching staff member.

The principal and/or vice-principal also attend School Council meetings but are non-voting members of council.